This invention relates generally to the field of packing materials. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and system for ensuring proper packing of an order of parts for shipment.
Many parts suppliers are required to deliver a shipment of parts in a specified sequence. These parts suppliers are also being required to utilize xe2x80x9cjust in timexe2x80x9d manufacturing processes that maintain very small inventories. In some cases, large orders of identical parts common in years past are uneconomical and are no longer considered good business practice.
Today, many manufacturing or assembly plants place orders consisting of a variety of parts. These parts are provided in shipping totes that may be sequenced in the same order that an assembled product travels during production on an assembly line. These sequenced totes consisted of a combination of colors packed in a seemingly random order. Often times, assembly line personnel found working with the totes difficult due to incorrectly packed parts.
Because of the tedious and monotonous nature of placing the parts in the tote, errors frequently occurred during packing. Improperly packed shipping totes can cause significant downtime of the assembly line process in which the parts are utilized. In addition, remedying a shipment of incorrectly packed totes may result in shipment returns and re-packing of the totes. Obviously, packing errors can contribute to significant losses, both in time and money.
This invention is directed to solving these and other problems.
The present invention is directed to a method of packing a shipment of parts. The method comprises indicating a part for packing and confirming selection of the part. A location in a shipping tote is indicated for placing the selected part. And the location of the shipping tote is sensed for the placement of the selected part.
A further aspect of the present invention comprises confirming the placement of the selected part in the shipping tote. The packed part is monitored and an alarm is generated in response to the removal of the part from the shipping tote.
Yet a further aspect of the present invention comprises providing a programmable device, an array of sensors, and an array of indicators. The array of sensors and the array of indicators being adaptable to the shipping tote. The programmable device being operably connected to the array of sensors and the array of indicators wherein the programmable device cooperates with the array of sensors and the array of indicators to ensure proper placement of the selected parts for shipping.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a packing system comprising a programmable device being operably connected to a pack station. A shipping tote for holding parts selected for packing is adaptable to the pack station. The pack station comprises an array of indicators and an array of sensors. Each array being adaptable with the shipping tote wherein the arrays cooperate with the programmable device to ensure proper packing of the selected parts in the tote.
An object of the present invention is to reduce or eliminate mistakes in a packing process of a variety of parts. The reduction of packing mistakes may reduce the amount of downtime in the packing process itself, and in subsequent processes utilizing the packed parts.
Other features and advantages of the invention, which are believed to be novel and nonobvious, will be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which there is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention. Reference is made to the claims for interpreting the full scope of the invention, which is not necessarily represented by such embodiment.